Progress update and Masjid building commencement - 10th Rajab 1444AH
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته
Alhamdulillah, All praise is due to Allah ﷻ who favoured us with the deen of Islam, and made us the Ummat of Qur'an, and guided us through the Sunnah to recognise the signs of the Aakhir Zamaan, the last period on this earth, and the steps to take when that time arrives.
Alhamdulillah with the great fadhl of Allah ﷻ we have today started with the Masjid building project. We have received delivery of the materials required to build the frame of the first dome (similar to the above image) in the Masjid complex and will be posting pictures soon ان شاء الله ﺗﻌﺎﻟﯽٰ of the progress.
Since the last article many have realised that the situation worldwide, and locally is more serious than we thought. Many even in the mainstream media now also admit that the next world war has begun, which may be more devastating than the previous two and have more far reaching implications.
Of course, we have already been informed that there would be a great malhama, a great war wherein 99 out of 100 combatants would die. The ulamaa do not feel that this has occurred already, so it is yet to come, and may be what we are facing in the near future. The appearance of the major signs also seems near and more information has come out in the past week to support this. Allah ﷻ knows best.
Our responsibility is to be prepared, spiritually and physically for the fitan that is already here and the fitan that is to come, and to move towards becoming self-sufficient and secure.
I have described this preparation in detail in the previous post which you can read here:
In this post I want to give you an update on the project and especially with regards to the Masjid construction and the madrasah progress.
We had made a lot of duaa to Allah ﷻ that we can start the Masjid by the end of January and Alhamdulillah our duaa has been accepted.
الحمد لله الذي بنعمته تتم الصالحات
Throughout December and January we had been busy with the concept and design and going back and forward making mashwerah of what to do in this unique environment of the estate which presents unique challenges but also allows us unique opportunities.
Alhamdulillah a design and theme of the overall Masjid complex was agreed upon and we began sourcing materials to start the pre-fabrication at our facility in Johannesburg.
When deciding on how to go about the Masjid complex we felt that we did not want to continue in the same way that many other Masaajid are built in South Africa where the considerations are different, especially since the security situation is different at the estate with it being very secluded and protected within the mountain. There were also other considerations:
We wanted to bring back simplicity to the Masjid while still retaining the necessary structures to fulfil its purpose.
We wanted to avoid wastage and extravagance in any aspect of the building while still putting up structures that would last a long time ان شاء الله ﺗﻌﺎﻟﯽٰ and require little maintenance
We wanted to enable a phased approach to the entire complex so that structures could be added as per the growing need of the community and the funds available without creating awkward spaces and inefficient layouts.
We wanted to make the Masjid complex also fit in with the self sufficiency and sustainability principles of the estate so that the complex has its own independent power supply, food production, water recycling and other off grid systems
We needed to use lightweight materials that are fire and water resistant and also cost effective
We needed structures and a layout that was inexpensive to warm in the winter and would stand up to the heavy summer rains
These and other considerations led us to consider using a layout of multiple geodesic domes, constructed from strong, lightweight, fire and water resistant frames. The complex will ان شاء الله ﺗﻌﺎﻟﯽٰ have a large main dome for the main salaah area with smaller domes for madrasah classes and other facilities related to the Masjid such as the room for jamaats etc.
Many design concepts were put forward and these are some of the sketches and generated concept images we looked at below:
Later additional work was done on the individual domes in imagining what they could look like and these are some of the ideas that were put forward:
In the end of the deliberations we finalised on a dome design similar to the one below, which maintains the simplicity and functionality needed Alhamdulillah, without becoming too expensive and complex to build.
Variations of these domes will be used for the main Masjid area and the classrooms ان شاء الله ﺗﻌﺎﻟﯽٰ and the layout will be ultimately determined according to the ground allocated for the Masjid complex (pictured below)
The red arrow above indicates the qibla direction. The area here is very flat and is a sandstone rock outcrop which makes it easy to build upon since very little foundation work is required, further reducing the cost involved Alhamdulillah.
Below is another overhead view with a proposed layout of the structures ان شاء الله ﺗﻌﺎﻟﯽٰ when fully completed although this is subject to change. We also welcome feedback on this.
Alhamdulillah with the fadhl of Allah ﷻ we have received contributions for the Masjid from those who have purchased plots and this has allowed us to order the materials for the first 60sqm dome structures, which we received today Alhamdulillah. Our team will begin to cut and assemble the frames and then put them up in order to ensure that they are correct before transporting them to site ان شاء الله ﺗﻌﺎﻟﯽٰ .
These initial structures will be used as the first salaah facilities. In addition the necessary wudhu and toilet facilities will be built and thereafter more structure will be added as per the layout above ان شاء الله ﺗﻌﺎﻟﯽٰ as the project progresses.
We request your duaas for the success of this much needed project.
Building of residents homes
Alhamdulillah with the commencement of the Masjid we have already been able to establish a number of costs related to building these types of domes. As we progress further in the next few weeks we will be able to provide firm costs to residents so that they can decide what size home they wish to build at Jibalus Salaam.
Some residents have already sent us their requirements and ideas and requested from us to have the architects start work on the design. We will be commencing this process ان شاء الله ﺗﻌﺎﻟﯽٰ and hope to have a few standard designs ready with costing soon ان شاء الله ﺗﻌﺎﻟﯽٰ.
With regards to the date when residents may start building it will depend on the type of structure. For domes and mobile homes we can start mid February for the prefabrication of the structures at the facility in Johannesburg and then transport and put them up between end of April and beginning of July ان شاء الله ﺗﻌﺎﻟﯽٰ. For those who wish to put up the stone and glass traditional home structure this can start between the beginning of July and the end of the year ان شاء الله ﺗﻌﺎﻟﯽٰ
Off grid and self sufficiency progress
Alhamdulillah, we have now completed a large amount of research into the systems and equipment we will be using to achieve self sufficiency at the estate, these involve but are not limited to:
greywater recycling systems using wetland plants to be reused for the garden
hydro and aeroponic growing systems to maximise food production per square meter
integrated greenhouse systems within the dome and externally
biogas production from home waste for heating and cooking
efficient grazing and feeding methods for livestock and poultry
electricity production from solar panels, wind and hydro
use of efficient appliances to reduce energy needs
ground source geothermal heating systems for the most cost efficient heating and cooling
We have already begun testing these systems at a farm in Johannesburg so that they function correctly at the estate ان شاء الله ﺗﻌﺎﻟﯽٰ
We will be sharing how these systems work so you and the residents can get a better understanding of how these methods will ان شاء الله ﺗﻌﺎﻟﯽٰ serve to achieve your goals of going off grid and becoming self sufficient. This will be shared in separate posts ان شاء الله ﺗﻌﺎﻟﯽٰ
May Allah ﷻ keep all of you and your families in the best of health and make all your matters of dunya and aakhirat easy. May Allah ﷻ make your coming into this project a means of safety from the fitan that is already present and the darker fitan of dajjaal that is approaching rapidly, those that are hidden and those that are in plain sight. May Allah ﷻ also make it a means of safety for yourself, your families and your future progeny from the turmoil and tribulations and uncertainties that are to come. Kindly also make duaa for us and the project and the ummah ان شاء الله ﺗﻌﺎﻟﯽٰ
و عليكم السلام و رحمة الله وبركاته
Ml Hakim Dr Latib
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